Household Gadget The Apprentice

This is not about a job anymore.

I'm the investor and you're going to make me some money.

Heading to London, 16 potential business partners

all keen to kick-start a company.

I'm not looking for a friend. If I want a friend, I'll get a dog.

I'm looking for a partner.

This is about me investing £250,000 into a business with one of you.

On offer, a 50-50 deal

with the nation's most demanding investor.

I put you into a little piddly little business

and you've made a complete mess of the figures.

Willing to bank-roll new business in tough-times,

Lord Sugar is on the hunt for one winning partnership.

Basic business principles went right down the drain on this thing.

You should have all known better.

Start the car!

It's a deal worth fighting for.

It's the same thing happening again.

We have an opinion and you just don't like it.

16 candidates.

If plan A fails, we've got plan B. If plan B fails, we've got plan C.

12 tough weeks.

Where am I going?

One life-changing opportunity.

You're fired. You're fired.

This is my boardroom and, by the way, this is my money. You're fired.

Previously on The Apprentice.

I'm going to ask you to go out and buy blank material,

and then brand up those items and sell them to the public.

A licence to print money.

Oh, my God!

As the teams made their mark on blank goods.

Put it in. Sell it to a gullible tourist.

Nick's boys messed up their merchandise.

These have marks on. They all have imperfections.

-It's so unprofessional.

-I do apologise.

Come over!

For Gabrielle's girls, T-shirts for toddlers.

That suits your eyes.

But lack of direction from Bilyana...

-I know where the shops are.

-We're not near any shops.

..set the girls on the road to nowhere.

-I don't like buying under pressure.

-Let's go, guys.

In the boardroom, an early win for the boys

and a dressing down for the girls.

This is a two-bob-outing.

Go and buy a bit of stuff, print your name on it

and flog it to people in the street.

Gabrielle stood firm.

I have a small voice but everybody respected me, what's your excuse?

Katie came close to going...

I'm not going to shout over people.

Katie, I can't tell you the amount of times I've heard that

from people who do nothing.

Sales were time critical, Lord Sugar...

-Bilyana talked herself into trouble.

-..when we eventually hit...

-Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop!

You don't do yourself any favours.

Bilyana, you're fired.

..and became the first casualty of the boardroom.

Now 15 remain to fight for the chance

to become Lord Sugar's business partner.

PHONE RINGING

5:30am

PHONE RINGING

-Hello.

-'Good morning, this is Lord Sugar's office.'

-Good morning.

'Lord Sugar would like you to meet him

'at the Victoria And Albert Museum.

'The cars will pick you up in 15 minutes.'

Guys, we're going to Kensington.

-15 minutes?

-15 minutes.

-What? Argh!

You're having a laugh! 15 minutes?

We're going to where? The Victoria And Albert Museum?

We've got 15 minutes. Let's do it!

Let's do it. Come on!

We do need to beat the boys today.

They're just being a bit arrogant

and acting like they're at school to be honest.

We do need to knock them down a peg or two.

We're better than the girls because we're a lot more knitted as a team. We gelled better.

Simple as that.

They think they're all over this and quite frankly they just should not.

As far as I'm concerned, it's game on.

The Victoria And Albert Museum.

Since the mid-19th century,

grand showcase for the best in British design.

-Good morning.

-ALL: Good morning, Lord Sugar.

This place was set up over 150 years ago as a source of inspiration

for British designers and manufacturers.

What you're going to do this week is design a new gadget,

a household gadget, could be for the kitchen, the bathroom,

the garden, I don't particularly care.

Now, the success of this task

is going to be in that product concept

you're coming up with, because everything after that

is going to be a waste of time if the product sucks.

So, think of your product, prototype it,

and I have laid on major retailers you will pitch your products to.

Very simple. The team that gets the most amount of orders will win.

And the team that doesn't, in that team, one of you will be fired.

-OK, everything clear?

-ALL: Yes, Lord Sugar.

Off you go and I'll see you in the boardroom in a couple of days time.

Thank you, Lord Sugar.

Both teams have two days to think up and design

a useful domestic gadget.

Get it right,

and a slice of the £10 billion homeware market could be theirs.

But first, both teams need project managers.

I have experience of bringing products to market.

I have experience of pitching to multiple retailers.

For the girls, two volunteers.

This is completely up my alley.

Supermarket food supplier, Jane,

running against research and development manager, Katie.

Getting products to market, just like Jane, is exactly what I do.

I just think this is the one for me. I think this would be really good.

I'm really excited.

OK, I feel that I could lead the project from a strategic level

and get us a win.

OK. So, who wants to vote?

-Jane.

-Jane.

-I'd agree with Jane. OK.

OK, right.

Although I genuinely do think that I'm a team player,

I like to be a team leader rather than a follower.

-You know, to get hair out.

-I could put...

-Shhhhh!

Can we actually just go around in order.

But as my son calls me a bossy-boots,

yeah, I am a bit of a bossy-boots

so it's probably the best role for me to be in.

OK, OK, if we just hold on for a sec. Can I make a decision?

I'm good at pitching. That's what I do.

Stepping-up for the boys, refrigeration entrepreneur Azhar.

-I'll vote for Azhar.

-I'll second Azhar.

I'll go for Azhar as well.

-Azhar.

-Yep then, Azhar.

-Good luck.

-Cheers, guys.

We're all behind you.

People describe me as a killer whale of the SeaWorld

because on one side, I'm intelligent, I'm polite, I'm quite nice.

But on the other side, put me in a business environment,

I'm very aggressive, I'm very committed.

-Has anybody got any quick ideas, some suggestions...

-Absolutely kitchen.

You could design more products for the kitchen than for the bathroom.

-I'd say kitchen.

-Everybody has a kitchen and they entertain in it.

As project manager, it's kitchen we're going for. OK, that's fine.

While the boys cook-up kitchen ideas...

We're trying to solve a problem.

..the girls brainstorm bath-time.

Right, we're focusing on bathrooms.

What problems are we going to solve in the bathroom?

Does anybody have any specific ideas?

We're obviously struggling to think of an idea, right?

Seriously, girls, what would you like to go for?

Whatever you choose, we'll go with you.

What's popular at the minute, we have to recycle.

I forget to recycle. It's difficult to separate,

you've got separate bins for everything.

For the boys, a bin.

If we had a rectangular, simple shape,

modern design bin that could fit inside a cupboard,

which compresses your rubbish as well, and reduce waste.

Do you know what, the idea round that, that's a quite good concept. A recycling compress system. OK?

Which was Duane's idea.

The waste compacter is going to be aimed at anyone that's going to cook

anyone that wants to reduce the waste

and I know at home I want to reduce my waste so...

It's modern, it fits in around the home, it's fashionable at the minute

so we've got to go with what's fashionable.

-Let's go.

-We're going to win this.

-Well done, guys.

Good start, lads, good start.

Tomorrow the teams must pitch their products

to two leading retailers.

Keen to test the compactor concept

half the boys head off to get the measure of the market.

This is our full range of bins. We don't have any manual compactors.

-Do you think it's something that you could stock?

-Yeah.

We sell composters but nothing that compacts it down.

That is a good idea.

The product's really complicated. It's not a simple idea.

It's a very industrial thing, where they crush waste.

Not keen on squashing rubbish, a new idea from Adam.

Imagine a pair of oven gloves, mittens, or maybe rubber gloves,

but basically they've got sponge scourers on the outside.

Maybe you have a soft one on your left

and you have a scouring side on your right for your pans,

-you rinse, bang, fantastic.

-I think it's a great idea.

We have to pitch it to the other guys.

-Hello.

-We've got one more idea, which is Adam's idea of the marigolds

with a scourer on one side and a sponge on the other,

which we're going to pitch to the focus group.

If you guys can perhaps maybe ask the retailer

what they thought of that idea, that would be good.

Guys, guys!

If you just go to the focus group,

get some feedback from the focus group and keep us updated.

-Speak to you later, guys.

-Cheers. Thank you.

When on earth do you think,

"Oh, my word, what am I going to do with all this veg waste?"

When does that happen in life? You tell me.

When does it happen? But when do you wash up? Three times a day.

HE LAUGHS

Still at the V&A and stuck for an idea...

Our product is the most important thing.

..the girls are running late.

We've looked at the problems, so we've now just got to decide.

The one problem I have with my little boy when I'm in the bath,

he makes some mess and he splashes everywhere and I'm always like,

"Will you stop splashing? Stop splashing!"

Is there any way, along a bath, we could sell like a screen? It could be like colourful.

And it could flip down into the bath. Like a splash screen.

You could also sell pens with it so they can decorate it and it's wipeable.

Ah!

Write that on the board, it's a good idea.

I like that. OK, anybody else?

What about tap-cushion so you can put your feet up in the bath?

-A tap cosy!

-A tap cosy. It'll be well designed, make it funky, make it colourful.

It depends what the design of the bath is.

Most taps are together, aren't they?

But taps are different sizes and stuff, different distances away.

-Guys, I feel really good about this.

-When you're doing the cushion thing,

just think about how it's going to attach.

With two gadgets in mind, the girls get going.

We need to find one product that we know people are going to want.

Not something that we think people are going to want

because we like the idea. Although, I do like both ideas.

For Jade, Katie and Laura, a mother and toddler group.

HE CRIES

Hi, guys.

Target market for both ideas.

The first product I'm going to chat with you about is a practical product

to try and make bath time a little bit less messy. OK?

I've got a little four-year-old and when he's in the bath,

he just goes mental and there's just splashes everywhere

so what we're envisaging is some sort of kids splash rail,

which would just flip up, stopping the splashes.

If you've got that, you might not be able to reach over so quickly.

And also, the splashing in the bath is the sort of fun thing,

interacting with the water,

-and I think it's just one of those things you're going to get.

-OK.

Product number two, is like a cushion but it would go over,

like fit over, any kind of tap, to squash on...

-A tap cosy.

-And it's waterproof?

And you could put your head against it like a pillow?

-Do you think that this is a good product?

-Yes, absolutely.

-OK.

That's interesting.

Excuse me!

We've got two ideas. One is a tap cosy...

Out with the rest of the girls, testing the same concepts,

youngest team-mate, Maria.

What we've come up with is an idea where you've got a product

that covers the tap but it's got a pillow on it.

People tend to underestimate me.

They think, "Aw, cos she's only 20-years-old she can't do this,

"she can't do that!" And it's a load of crap.

That is a load of crap. I don't work for a company, I've done it myself.

I will have five restaurants by the time I'm 25-years-old.

I don't know, I think that we could be onto a winner.

She said it's not something she feels she needed

but she'd probably still buy it. Know what I mean?

-Hi, guys.

-Hi. Are you finished your focus group?

Yeah, it was amazing. Really good. Really good results.

The tap cosy went down very well.

They felt that it's a real problem, they jumped at it they said,

if they knew there was a product like that,

they'd buy it straight away.

That's perfect, that's brilliant.

We did some market research and the same stuff was coming up

and it was really good.

-Is this a goer then?

-I think so, guys.

THEY CHEER

OK, great!

It's good that we're all on the same page.

And if we're going with the name Tap Cosy,

and I know we can't design the product round the name,

but if we are going with that name,

which is very strong and very clever, it should look like a cosy.

2:00pm. An east London catering college.

I used to be a chef,

so when I cook, I'm known to use a lot of gadgets to make things easier.

Armed with Adam's glove idea and Duane's composting concept,

the focus group boys confront the experts.

Now this, essentially, is a waste food compressor.

It'll be on the table top and as you chop

you'll put the food in the top of it.

Once it's loaded up, it'll compress all the food down to the bottom

and put into a bin or into a compost area that you might then use.

I think it sounds like quite a good idea.

Living in a flat and not having a compost heap,

having food waste is annoying.

OK. All right, guys, we're going to take you on to our next idea.

So, rubber gloves with scourers on the finger tips.

Medium scourers there, sponge-like on that hand.

It's all in one.

Scrub it on the back for your pans like you'd use...

Do you know what I mean? And then bang, done.

I actually think that's quite a sensible idea.

That would suit me. It goes round my pots and I can clean more thoroughly

because I can feel what I'm cleaning.

I'd rather just buy a sponge to be honest.

Thanks for that.

It seems to me to be a unanimous decision

-that they all like the gloves. Agree?

-Yeah.

It's a good idea, it's practical, it's handheld

and based on the feedback we got from the focus group,

we should definitely go with the rubber gloves.

3pm.

Obviously, with the tap cosy we're going to go to the designers now.

Two hours before designs must be finalised

so prototypes can be built overnight.

But I was just thinking it's going to be difficult to actually

attach this product to the bath.

But among the girls, growing doubts.

-It's going to become complicated for us.

-And then...

-Perhaps we're making our product very difficult.

-Just too risky.

If I'm honest, I have to speak from my heart,

but I think the original idea of the splashback,

it was so simple, it struck hard, it was just straightforward, easy,

a metre wide, and it could have been a picture on it,

could have been stuck on the back wall as a picture frame

so it made the bath look quite funky to go in.

It was a really good idea.

I agree with you. OK, we have a bit of a dilemma here.

You OK?

-Do you want to add cos...

-Huh?

-Do you have ideas that you want to add?

I'm thinking, I'm thinking, I'm trying to... Let me do it.

-I'll come up with something in a minute.

-If you have something...

On the way to brief their designers, half the boys, led by Azhar.

The minute you open it - pssht! - the smell's going to hit you.

The smell of vegetables that have been sat in there for four or five days.

So basically any odours will be trapped in this filter point here.

I'm liking that, mate.

So what do you think about names then? Easy Clean?

-Magic Hands.

-I like Magic Hands.

Our biggest issue there is selling the gloves to the other guys

who have made their decision regardless of what we've done today

-cos they're still going to run with Duane's idea.

-Yes.

-Hi, Tom, you OK?

-Yeah, not bad.

We just wanted to give you a call with feedback from the focus group.

We pitched the rubber gloves with the scourers on.

I'll pass you over to Adam and he's going to talk to you about it.

Briefly, guys, out of eight of them, they all said they'd buy it,

they all said they liked it.

Did you get any feedback on it at your end?

No, we checked but I think there's already a product similar to that on the market.

Who did you check with?

To be honest, Adam, we actually didn't consider that too hotly.

Yeah, we knew you wouldn't do that.

We've all got fantastic ideas and I'm sure everyone's ideas are valid.

We need to look for something that's a valued product in the UK,

that we could sell a large number of units.

We're not on the pitch, Azhar. We're not pitching the product yet.

You don't have to convince us, mate.

We're going with the biodegradable bin which is the compress bin.

So, basically, we've invented the bin.

The gloves are off. Time to turn the composter into something solid.

If we were to compress the produce into a sort of bowl

or lift this unit and drop the waste in.

OK, crikey.

Yeah, it's quite a challenge, isn't it?

4:30pm

What fabrics were you thinking of having?

While half the girls discuss tap cosy details with design guru Kelly Hoppen...

Maybe you go for whites and creams and taupes.

Pebble-like almost.

Yeah, to make it more luxury and more attractive.

I think that is very clever.

..at the design studio...

What we were thinking of was a splash guard.

..a change of plan.

So it can either stick on the bath so it acts as a splashback.

It'll look decorative but it'll reduce the water coming out the bath so it keeps it tidy.

They've debated the two products back and forth all day.

Jenna has really championed

the splash kids bath screen and she's got her own way.

-Katie, hi.

-We've got our own design ideas.

So how's the design of the tap cosy going on?

OK, so we had a number of discussions

and basically there were just too many design constraints.

-BOTH:

-What?

-It just wasn't going to work.

We had to go with the simpler option of our original idea of the kid splash.

OK, but we've done market research today.

There's no point doing market research if we ignore it.

Are you prepared to negotiate on this or is your decision completely made?

We're going to go with Splish Splash or Kid's Splash, which do you prefer?

-BOTH:

-Kid's Splash.

Splish Splash, OK, thanks, guys.

I think that Jane's made the wrong decision

The simple fact is that we are pitching a product tomorrow

that was not favoured by our focus group

meaning that a lot of the work that I led today has been ignored.

9pm.

We have the Eco Press.

The reason you want one of these is that it will allow you to compress waste, yeah?

-Do you not even get that concept?

-Yeah, we got that, yeah.

Is everyone all right? Is everyone OK?

With the compacter prototype underway, the boys regroup.

We've felt redundant today. That's how all four parties feel.

-There could've been better communication.

-Where we are is this is the product.

You can talk about what happened for the last eight hours till next week.

The point is this is the product. No reservations any more.

'I feel a little bit disappointed.'

I think people are just not committing to the product

and they just don't want to give 100% to the product or the task.

Can I respond to what you've said there?

As project manager, that's quite insensitive.

You've ignored me and said, "This is the product, get behind it." We're 100% behind it, we've told you that.

You haven't empathised with our feelings as manager.

Guys, guys, guys...

SEVERAL SPEAK AT ONCE

We need to focus.

8am.

We're going to clinch it. We're going to smash it today.

This is it, guys.

Built overnight, the prototypes arrive.

Gentlemen, gentlemen, here's our product.

For the boys, Duane's compost compacter...

Oh, look at that.

..branded Eco Press.

-Does that logo not sell the product to you?

-Absolutely.

That actually looks like an espresso machine.

That is a product. Is that a product? Duane.

'I did commit to the product, it is me and I still stand by it.'

Ultimately, I still have the attitude and if it doesn't work out, it was my idea.

That's something out of the 21st century as a product.

First impression - it doesn't look that bad.

I am 100% behind it. Would I buy it? No.

It's here!

For the girls, Splish Splash.

Oh, I love it. I love it.

On one side, a splash-proof guard...

You know what's ironic? There's water all over the floor.

..on the other, crayons and shapes for bath-time play.

It's amazing!

I love it. I really love it.

Our product is amazing.

-Guys, we are going to win this.

-Aw, there's no doubt about it.

But why has nobody thought of this sooner?

-Are you behind the product?

-Yes.

-Let's get going, guys.

I'm not being funny - there's no way we're not going to win.

Today, both teams must pitch their products to two retail giants.

Among the toughest buyers in the homeware business.

First stop for Jane's team, Britain's biggest online retailer.

The more units they buy, the less it's going to cost.

Minutes away and fine-tuning their figures, Gabrielle and Jenna.

If they were to go and buy a million, it's going to cost them...

748 and it'll give them a profit margin of 240%.

Good afternoon, gentlemen, my name is Jane

and we're here today to show you our product

and it's called Splish Splash.

A splash screen that fits into your bath.

It stops the water going all over the bathroom.

It's got a few different elements. It's got waterproof crayons.

So while your child is in the bath, they can also draw on the screen.

So it just adds a bit of interaction.

I think it's a seriously good buy

because it's not only solving a problem,

it's quite light as well. So I think it's easy to use

and I think your child is going to have great fun with it.

Now, I know that you have over 144 million customers.

I really think that this would fit in well with your portfolio of products.

And, ideally, if you were to order a million units,

then you will sell them.

This is a global product, you are a global business

and I really believe that you are the perfect partner for this product.

I think a million units is a big commitment.

What could you do if we were to go lower than that?

If you were to order 500,000 units, it is a margin of 225%

and 100,000 units will give you a margin of 185%.

Just in terms of the numbers you've quoted

and in particular the gross margin numbers.

Are you sure about the gross margin you've quoted us?

It doesn't quite add up, the numbers.

I'll just refer you over to...our financial team.

THEY MUTTER AMONGST THEMSELVES

So, basically, if you were to buy 100,000 off us,

the profit on that...

No, I'm just working that out. That's actually out of synch.

You're actually making 842,000. That's what we're offering you today.

-The costings, guys!

-It was just a bit of a mess.

-It wasn't a mess.

-In what way?

-Mentioning a million units - you should have seen their faces.

That's a nine million pound order. I don't want to be laughed at.

Arriving to sell Duane's Eco Press, the boys.

Chosen to pitch it, Stephen and Azhar.

We had a quick chat and wonder if you're OK about this.

So that it's just Stephen and Azhar that actually talk about the product.

-Same for the Q&A?

-Same, yep.

-So, just to clarify,

-questions and answers I'm not allowed to...

-It's not about not being allowed.

-It definitely is.

What we're trying to avoid is everybody jumping in at the pitch

so we deliver a professional pitch and know who is speaking.

And in doing that, what you're saying to me is, Duane,

if any questions get asked, do not answer them.

Just know that's what you're saying.

My God!

What I'd love to introduce to you right now is our product -

the Eco Press.

A multifunctional composter for biodegradable waste.

And here it is, gentlemen. Now, we all like food.

I have to be honest, I'm not a great cook.

72% of people in the UK actually cook at home.

So let's imagine you have...

Probably not the best meal you'll ever have

but you have some lettuce there and some bananas left over from last night.

In a normal environment you may well pop this in a standard bin and that will just sit there.

Food does carry an odour when left in a space for a long period of time.

And it creates an undesirable smell in the home

which obviously no-one likes to do that when they're watching TV or something like that.

The difference with this,

you'd place your vegetation or produce in there,

you push through with the plunger

and the residue comes out through the base.

It is a market certainly that already exists

and there are some other brands out there.

How do you get those USPs across to the consumer?

That's a great question. I think, in terms of the product, you're going to have a natural choice.

The composter market, those buying this type of product

will be faced with a very simple choice

so that currently is what's on show.

And just to further answer your question,

I think the way we'd encourage it to get to market,

is the same way as to why it was created. The problem is recycling.

Me at home, I'd love to recycle but when I get home, I forget to stick everything in different bags,

I scrape it all in the same bag.

But if that was on my desktop, I would put my veg in there,

I would put my dinner in there and compress it.

-DUANE:

-So do we feel good?

-GENERALLY POSITIVE NOISES

-It was good. I think we did very well.

'What a nonsense.'

The inventor was forbidden to speak. It's extraordinary really.

Steve was standing there and from the back Duane broke ranks and did speak.

They liked his passion for his baby.

All round, I think they may have spoken into a sympathetic ear here.

On the road to their next pitch,

last chance for the girls to get their prices right.

Forget all the figures, this is what we've worked out.

From 0-20,000 units it's £9.01.

Jenna, hang on, that's less than if you ordered 100,000.

No, the figures weren't wrong. We're giving them in the most simple form.

-IN RAISED VOICE:

-All we need to do is get them to make orders

and impress them with the product and the pitch. That is it.

Guys...? You know what, they can do the figures. Tell them to do the figures.

7pm. High street homeware chain Lakeland.

OK, I'll bring it over so you can have a good little touch of it.

Pitching Splish Splash, Laura.

We are very, very excited about it

because not only is it a practical product

which is solving a problem,

it's fun because it's actually doubling up as a bath-time toy.

The children can play with it

SHE LAUGHS: I know. Just shows that it's sturdy, that's all.

There is not a product in the market at the moment which can rival it.

-Are you having a wee try there?

-A little bit.

The recommended retail price that we will be starting at is £17.99.

But what's the cost price to ourselves?

With anything between nought to 20,000 units,

you're basically going to double on cost.

The unit price is between £6 and £10 depending on

the number of orders you make.

I have a question about the product.

I can see how interactive it is and they are waterproof crayons.

What is going to stop my child from taking that

and drawing on my bath?

You don't want to be creating more mess with a product that is designed to stop mess.

-Yes.

-It is going to make mess.

Next up, with Eco Press, the boys.

This could give us the biggest order by far

cos this is exactly what they are about.

Exactly what they do.

Tell us a little bit about why.

How did you come up with the inspiration for this idea?

Thanks for the great question.

Let me introduce Duane, who was the brains behind the product.

I'm sure he can explain.

How are you doing?

What happened was, when I get in the evening,

I like to cook and I make a lot of mess and I could have that

as I was preparing food and just put the goods in there.

We wanted a useful, fun,

modern product that was available to everyone, everywhere.

I'm guessing that with the type of customers you have

are the type of customers who like their kitchens to look smart,

fashionable, to look chic, and we believe that ticks all those boxes.

-Thanks for your time.

-Thank you.

Tonight, total orders will be totted up.

Did someone say "nailed"?

Tomorrow, the results.

You can go through to the boardroom now.

-Good afternoon.

-ALL: Good afternoon, Lord Sugar.

Right, ladies, we will start with you. Who is the team leader. Jane?

-Yes.

-OK. As far as team leadership is concerned,

how do you think Jane was?

Yes. I was happy with Jane.

Yes? Tell me what happened?

Laura came up with the idea because she is a mother, and so am I,

-of a splash guard for the bath.

-Let's have a look at this thing.

The first observation, this, to me, looks like a toy of some kind.

-It's a portable product.

-Multipurpose.

Did you all agree on this product? What other ideas did you have?

We had two products. The main consensus was towards the tap cosy.

As we got into the market research and we met the professional, it was definitely the winner.

So you went to the market research and spoke to the professional,

and the tap thing was the winner?

-But, Lord Sugar...

-Very marginally but yes.

-The problem was taps are very different.

-OK, listen, Jane.

You go off to do market research.

The purpose of market research is to see what product you should go for.

No?

Right, OK. Tell me how you went and pitched to the people

I lined up for you.

-Who did what?

-I took our first one.

-So, the first one you did with who?

-Amazon.

-Were you all there?

-ALL: Yes.

How do you think she did.

I think Jane did a very good pitch. Very clear and concise.

So what about quantities?

It changed depending on the retailer.

-Amazon are much bigger, aren't they?

-Yes.

-What did you ask them for?

I gave them prices for 100,000, 500,000 and one million units.

A million units?!

Yes, Lord Sugar. If you don't ask, you want get.

I don't think there is a product in history where one million units

were ordered initially by one single retailer, but there you are.

I believe in the product. Because I am a mother and I would buy it.

We will see whether the retailers believe in the product also.

Mmm.

-OK. Gentlemen, team leader?

-That was myself, Lord Sugar.

Good project manager or not?

-No, not particularly.

-I believe he was a good project manager.

-He was a good project manager.

-You think he wasn't?

I feel like he was not supported by the rest of the team...

I didn't ask whether he was supported. I asked if he was a good project manager.

He did not make decisions when necessary.

Unfortunately, if I didn't agree with individuals in the team,

they felt as though I wasn't supporting them.

There was a communication breakdown, made by Azhar which created two groups instead of one group.

That is why it is called a sub-team. You are supposed to do a separate element of the work.

-We understand that.

-Show us this thing. What is it?

So, in simple terms, perhaps you will explain to me

what it actually is.

This is a multifunctional composter for biodegradable food.

-Composter?

-Yes.

It looks like something you would put nuclear waste in,

as far as I'm concerned.

I mean it's...so small.

Basically, that's for vegetarian dwarfs or something.

Did you all like it, in the end? Did you all sign on to it in the end?

I didn't actually like it.

I did sign onto it and I was behind the product, 110%.

Did you have any other ideas?

Yes, I had a really good idea of rubber gloves with scourers attached.

A thick scourer for your fingertips,

a scrubbing brush on the back. I thought it was very good.

How come we didn't end up using it, then? If it was that good.

Team one had decided on the composter from the word go.

We'd already done all the market research.

That's not true. That's not true at all.

You pitched and didn't research. Day one was for research.

Day two was for pitching.

And that's the point that was missed on our team.

Would it be true to say that you felt like the country cousins

who had not been invited to the party?

Yeah, at the end of the day, we came back after a very hard day

with some very good answers and feedback and felt a little neglected.

From that point on, it was very much a split group.

-So you had a lack of team culture?

-Correct.

-Is that right?

Well, that is a bad trait if you are supposed to be a project manager

because I am sure all of you have worked this one out.

If the team works together, and if the team agrees, the team wins and you don't get fired.

Sure.

Let's get into some numbers, here, then.

Karen, let's talk about the big online retailer for your team.

I have to say I was cringing in the pitch.

The prices were all wrong. It was a shambles.

But they actually really like the product.

So they put in an order of 7,500.

7,500. Nick, the same thing for the online retailer?

Smaller, at 3,000.

Let's talk about this high street retailer. The very big chain.

How did you get on there?

They didn't really like the product.

-So they didn't place any orders.

-No orders.

And, Nick, for the same retailer, how did the boys get on with that?

All change. An order for 10,000.

CHEERING

So that is a total of 13,000 orders for the boys,

and 7,500 for the girls.

Gentlemen, you designed a product for the kitchen.

Your treat, you will be pleased to hear, you will

not be in the kitchen. You're going off a very famous restaurant.

I have got you a private room in the Ivy.

CHEERING

So go and enjoy yourself and I will see you on the next task, OK?

Well done. Well done, mate.

That was pressure. Well done.

Well done.

Well, ladies, second week and second loss.

Go away, discuss what went on,

and we will go into this in far more detail.

All right.

SWING MUSIC

-This is what it's all about, boys.

-Absolutely.

The product won it for us. Which is... Thank Duane for the product.

-The product we put online was a really good product.

-Well done.

On a serious note, the reason we won, as the project manager,

was because of the right people in the right places.

That's what it's all about. And that's why we won.

-OK.

-LAUGHTER

I really don't rate Azhar as a project manager.

I don't think he has the people skills.

The guy is slick, he looks cool, he has got all the gear but no idea.

-ALL: Cheers.

-To Lord Sugar.

Maybe we should get him to book a table for next time as well, yeah? LAUGHTER

-Gutted. Absolutely gutted.

-We didn't deserve to lose, no way.

I thought we had that in the bag, I really did.

'I'm not taking it lying down no more.'

I want to take this team over and prove that we can win

and the girls are not here to lose every time.

We all know we did a good job, but one of us has to go.

Katie made some big mistakes.

She literally stood around bitching and giving out about others.

-Katie should be fired.

-We changed the product last minute.

We will never know if that was the right move or not.

We didn't listen to the market research.

I think that the costings were a mess.

Whether they led to the failure is another matter.

PHONE RINGS

-'Could you send the ladies through, please?'

-Yes, Lord Sugar.

You can go through to the boardroom now.

Well, ladies, I did say to you that product will define who will win.

The product is not very good.

You have totally misread what I asked you to do.

So, why did that happen?

To be fair, we will all battering ideas out about issues

we have in the bathroom.

It developed down the route of possibly splash guard

and then we went down the route of, "Let's double this up as a toy,"

so that's where the initial idea came from.

It wasn't necessarily a toy.

It was more an entertainment centre and storage.

But who is responsible for championing this product?

To be fair, Lord Sugar, I have a feeling this is going in my direction now.

I will say that I put the product idea forward

but when we were all running with the product, I don't think anyone

can say they didn't think it was a good idea.

And when I put the initial idea out there,

I wasn't ramming it down people's throats, going,

"This is the only thing we can do, it is the only route we can go."

It was simply, "This is a problem I have, is this worth exploring?"

Let's be honest, it was about lack of ideas.

Cos actually, when it really came down to it,

there were only two. The tap cosy and the splash.

But after the market research, we were more towards the tap cosy,

-as you know.

-But there were serious issues with the tap cosy

and that's why I couldn't go with it.

Whether you could get a tap cosy that was going to be universal

because I knew that the Splish Splash at least would be

easier to get done and that it would actually work.

You went into the online retailer and what I heard,

you made a complete mess of the figures.

Who was responsible for how much it cost, how much it should

sell for? Who were you looking to to prepare you with those numbers?

Well, it was Gabrielle and Jenna.

Let me just note that myself

and Gabrielle not only worked on the figures.

We helped with the design. We were involved with every aspect,

so we don't shy away.

I'm not brilliant at figures but I didn't hear anyone shout out, "Let me take the figures on."

When we came out I would have expect the team to go,

"OK, didn't go as well as expected, which areas can we look at?"

Instead, "What the hell happened with the figures, guys?"

-THEY ALL TALK AT ONCE

-No, no, no, no, no.

Yourself and Maria attacked the girls who were doing the figures.

-You were told you could do them yourselves.

-Don't drag me into this.

-There was a big argument afterwards.

-Don't drag me into this, I said nothing.

If you're going to accuse me of something, at least make sure it's correct.

Let's face it, it was a mess in there, wasn't it? It was a mess.

It was a dangerous move to talk to the online retailer,

to actually say to them, "Order a million,"

especially if you've got a new product and you're new people.

I'd go as far as to say I don't even know why they gave you an order, quite honestly.

They must have felt sorry for you.

-And the other one, which YOU pitched to them, zero.

-Yes. I know. I know.

All I can say is, I personally gave it my damnedest.

We were up against it

and it's disappointing to hear that they didn't order from it.

Here's where I'm at the moment.

It's a bad product, bad financial modelling,

and somewhere I've got to find out where the fault lays.

Jane?

Well, it's quite difficult, but I have to go on contribution to the actual task.

I would say Maria didn't contribute as much as the others on this particular task.

On the first day she was very... just didn't want to be involved,

-just falling asleep in the car, and it wasn't...

-MARIA GASPS

-No, well, Maria... That was the reality of it.

-Who else?

Um...

Katie tried, but there were a few...

Hold on, I did what you assigned me, the market research.

So you're going to sit there and you're going to tell me...

When fingers are pointed towards others that are working...

-They wouldn't do it.

-You need to put yourself forward.

If you had said to me, "Maria, I want you to do the figures," I would have gone, "Fine."

Actually, we did. In the car...

Oh, my God.

No, Maria, when you were giving out in the car, we said,

-"Well, please, will you do the figures?" Would you do them? No.

-You are ridiculous.

Jane, I'm going to ask you which two people you're bringing back in this boardroom with you

and I just want to make it perfectly clear to you

that it has to be a rational decision and not an emotional one.

So who are they?

OK, um...Maria and Jenna.

Maria and Jenna. OK.

I am very disappointed, right, and what I've sat listening to here... is diabolical.

This is not going to carry on, because I've got a wide berth here.

It doesn't necessarily have to be one person that goes, you know.

The rest of you, go back to the house.

You three, step outside and I'll call you back in shortly.

Well, I'll tell you what, I am bitterly disappointed with this ladies' group, I really am.

Jane seems to have it together, I suppose,

and maybe she just made an assumption that all these others

know what they're doing, I don't know.

Jenna, on the numbers...

You harm the team if you put yourself forward for something you cannot do.

Maria, well, I mean, she's just like...she wants to row.

She looks a fiery person.

Maria's got lots of energy but she just doesn't know how to channel it.

She's just a bit shouty, I think. She is a very noisy young woman.

PHONE RINGS

Hello?

Lord Sugar will see you now.

Well, um, Jane, you've brought these two ladies back in here.

-Why?

-Um...so, Lord Sugar, you made it very clear that...

you thought that the finance was a key part of us losing the task, so I had to take emotion out of it

and I had no choice but to take Jenna into the boardroom.

I feel that I have contributed and worked very hard

and I do feel there's people here that think they're going to get through this shying away.

Well, I don't personally think you are.

Which people are those? People that are not here?

There is one person particularly I think should be sat here.

-And who do you think that was?

-Katie.

Katie was quick to point the finger that the figures was wrong.

If she was so good, I would have been pitching, I would have got involved in the figures, with the poster,

but she didn't get involved in anything. She just shied away.

Jane, what do you say? Was it a toss-up between her or Katie?

Yes, Lord Sugar, it was. It was.

But you clearly pointed out that it was the finance.

And the reason I chose Maria is that if, in my head, I lined up everybody

and had to rate them on their particular contribution to this exact task,

I have to say that hers was at the lower end of the scale.

They're the reasons.

-In other words, you think that she didn't pull her weight in this task? Maria.

-On this particular task.

What about all this sleeping nonsense?

-Who was sleeping where?

-That was my fault. I fell asleep for two seconds.

I was so tired. And that was it.

Actually we were discussing where we would go from there

and...I turned around and said, "Maria, have you got anything to say on this subject?"

And she was actually asleep.

I think you'll find I wasn't. I said to you, "Look, I'm thinking about it, I will... I'm thinking about it."

-You were asleep, Maria.

-< You did actually fall asleep.

Jenna, what is your business?

-Care, beauty and clothing, all under one roof.

-Beauty?

-Yeah.

Well, this is getting ugly here, isn't it?

You understand the principle of buying and selling products, though?

-Yes.

-And you lost it in figures and finances. Yes?

It's not my special point but I will let you know that there are no other team members that

step up to taking this position on or any other areas on,

and I'm not shy. I might not be good at it but I'll have a good go at it.

I will never shy away from anything.

So you don't think it would be fair for you to be fired for the failure of this task, then?

Definitely not, no!

But I feel that the only reason I'm here is because I put myself forward.

Not one person in here could say that I did a bad job.

It always seems to be, Jane, that when you're involved in some part of the team that there's a question.

-I think that's absolutely unfair.

-Sorry, I can't agree with that.

That is completely wrong.

-< You can't say that.

-Not one person could say I was a bad project manager.

-No, I completely agree.

-Not one person.

Maria, if I was to say to you, who should be fired from this task, then?

-Jane. You had the same...

-So she's a good project manager, now you're saying...

She is, but at the end of the day... Can I finish? You made the final decisions.

When it come to changing the product, it was, "I'm project manager, I'm changing the product."

No, it wasn't, it was a discussion. It was a thought-out discussion.

-You were asleep.

-Right, OK. Fine.

Maria, can I just ask you a question?

-You've got your own business, which is running a restaurant...

-Yes.

-..so you're conscious of costs of stuff, of food, things like that, what margin...

-Of course.

I make my money that way.

So did it occur to you that,

when the first pitch was over, to actually say something about it,

if you're so astute as far as numbers are concerned?

But if they're all there arguing and shouting,

I'm not going to sit there in a professional place and argue.

It's not going to look good on me or on the team.

-You were right in the middle of it, Maria.

-Right.

-Lord Sugar, I started my business from nothing...

-You're not the only one.

-Excuse me, just one second.

We are now exporting. I'm not afraid to take a risk. I really...

OK, Jane, Jane, that first few lines there, to me,

was you digging a bloody great big hole.

Because what you just said to me is you've got a great business

and you're exporting and all of that stuff

and yet basic business principles went right down the drain on this thing.

You let the numbers out of your sight.

You didn't know what your margins were.

And also the product, basically, sucks as far as I'm concerned. It's not a good product.

You can't have it both ways, you can't start telling me what a great business you run

and then when I've put you in charge of a little business it's all gone wrong.

Lord Sugar, I'm really, really determined,

I really want to win this.

I got more upset today than I did

when I was speaking to my son who was crying last night. I really want this.

But, Jane, Jane, I'm sure you really want it,

and I really want to find the right person that I can invest my money into, OK?

But, with the greatest respect,

sob stories and bringing the violin out and all that doesn't go anywhere with me.

There were some mistakes I made

but I can't do everything as a project manager.

I don't know.

All three of you have got your own business

and all three of you have made fatal errors here.

And I'm sitting here thinking, which one of you has got

the ability to run a business in which I'm going to invest in?

You should have all known better.

Jane, if you have to make your mind up now, who should be fired, then?

Maria, Lord Sugar.

Over Jenna?

Over Jenna, because at least Jenna stepped up. Maria and Katie were giving out all day about...

Excuse me, no, when you were arguing with Katie...

-I let you finish, could you let me finish?

-When you were arguing...

Jenna, having listened to the whole tale of woe here,

who should be fired for this?

If you're going on who to be fired on contribution to the task, I would have to say Maria.

Maria, one more chance for you, then, really.

Well, I had my own business at 19, I worked really hard and I've worked really hard ever since.

Trust me, if you put me in charge of just one project,

I guarantee you I will impress you,

and if not I will gladly walk out that door.

I am disappointed with all of you, to be honest.

All right.

Jane, you say that you are a good businesswoman and started a business on your own.

I put you into a piddly little business and you let it go.

You screwed it up.

But, Maria, I'm not clear what, in fact, you did in this task.

Maria, you're fired.

Thank you.

I am not at all happy.

And, do you know, there's no set rule about, one person goes.

-And...

-LORD SUGAR SIGHS

Lord Sugar, I know you think that this is digging a hole,

but I started a business from nothing, and...

OK, why did you get this wrong this time?

Give me a credible reason why you should stay here.

Lord Sugar, I shouldn't have delegated the finance. I shouldn't have done it.

It was perhaps silly on my part, I thought, by delegating it

to two people, that between the two of them they'd be able to do it,

and that obviously wasn't the case, and that was...that was my fault.

I shouldn't have done that. But I won't do it again.

No.

I'm bitterly disappointed.

You've both got businesses. I'm terribly disappointed. Go back to the house.

Thank you, Lord Sugar.

MARIA: I am going to continue doing what I'm doing. I will expand my restaurant,

regardless of the fact that I lost this.

I still will have my five restaurants by the time I'm 25 years old.

I was there to achieve a business investment. I didn't get it.

I'll get it somewhere else. Or I'll make me own money and do it myself.

I think that maybe Jane will go. I think she's stronger than the others

but simply because she tried to be tactical in the boardroom and that usually doesn't go down very well.

ALL: Oh, oh, oh!

ALL CHEER

ALL CHEER

-No way! No way!

-Come on, tell us what happened.

Do you know what, I said, "Look, for this particular task,

"going on everyone, she contributed..."

I said Maria, you said Maria, Maria said you, didn't she?

-How do you feel, girls?

-That's just taken two years off my life.

In the fight for Lord Sugar's quarter-million-pound investment,

14 candidates remain.

Next time.

The task today is all about making a new condiment.

-Ketchup clogs.

-That's not right. Summat's missing.

Can I suggest we taste it?

-And chutney burns.

-Oh, my God.

HE COUGHS

It seems to me that the production's all screwed up here.

In the boardroom, it's a pickle.

What is this? It's a joke. It's a total joke.

You're fired.

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